Freightliner Responsibility

[Rob_M]

Originally Posted by stutch

You are right. I should have ignored the post.

I have a real problem with the industry charging hundreds of thousands of dollars for very fragile things and the following of people who have no problem with spending and being taken advantage of.

I made a mistake when i bought my MH. Thought Newmar would support me, like a car dealer. We are not truckers and do not have a lobby or organization that protects us.

MHs are very complicated and the vast majority of buyers, including myself, never thought this massive investment could be bricked. Nothing else i can think of is like that.

So you are right. 3000 miles away from home, 2 dogs, and my 6 year old MH is in pieces at a FL dealer with no solution.

Being told i was resistant to having the part fixed inflamed me.

BTW, i got suggestions like MacGyver the condensor, go to junkyards, live with it!

I nor probably anyone else here realized that your motorhome is torn apart and un-drivable down at FL. None of us have ever seen an A/C condenser that is part of the radiator. I would have to see it for my own eyes to believe it, thinking FL is blowing smoke up your behind.

I agree that owning a DP and needing to depend on someone else to repair it has pushed many away from ownership. Many, like you, believed that a factory warranty would guarantee your ability to use it. As you have found out that is not necessarily true, especially post covid.

They are pretty much custom built machines that can be temperamental.

I am sorry for your frustration.

[J_C]

Attached a photo of the cooling package from another 2015 DS. Has the dealership been looking for the condenser or the entire cooling package? Item #5 in the picture is just the condenser. The entire package may be easier to find than just the condenser.

[Ted DuPuis]

I don't know much about Freightliner's supply chain. What I do know is that every time I've needed a part from them, my local dealer has been helpful and managed to get the part fairly quickly, similar with the Caterpillar dealer. I've never waited more than a few days. The hard part has always been figuring out who owns what - where Cat ends, Freightliner begins, and Monaco/Holiday Rambler threw something together from whatever they could find laying around the scrap heap (because that is how most of these things are built until you get into the 7 figure price range - and even then looking at Liberty, Marathon, Newell coaches I see areas that I wouldn't want due to reliability concerns).

Your situation is unfortunate, but unless there is something that's missing from your description, your coach shouldn't be undriveable simply because the AC condenser is leaking. It's only undriveable if the radiator is also leaking or otherwise unable to perform its function of cooling the engine (which the condenser has nothing to do with). This seems unlikely. My RV has never had the dashboard air working (on the list to fix eventually) and it hasn't hindered our 30k miles of travels since buying it. It might impact your comfort some but you should be able to have them get it back together and get home, and this time of year isn't a bad time to be without one portion of your AC (as noted - run the generator and the rooftop units - that's what we do).

Supply chain issues that started 3 years ago with Covid have impacted virtually every industry and they are still ongoing for many. At my day job, we have lead times on parts that none of us ever thought we'd see. It's gotten better but we're still advertising multiple months lead times on many items we sell. They don't always make sense at the consumer level side but in the end Freightliner also has tens of thousands semi trucks out there that have more common parts and are a more important part of their business than the motorhomes.

Since you're away from home, I'd focus on getting things together so you can get back home and make sure your local dealer is looking for the part.

[stutch]

Bingo!!! This is exactly what we need. The part number is AKG 3913-019-6000. It is a called a coolant pack. This MONSTER as my FL dealer calls it, has to be ordered as onme unit. We were never looking for just the condensor as, they are not even sure it has a seperate part number or even on the parts list by itself.

BUT!!!!!!! After searching nationwide, at least 5 noted aftermarket dealers like AGA, Coldhose, and many others, the dealer found a compatible solution in Memphis. 2.5x the price of FL part. They say it will solve the problem.

Thanks for your due dilligence and help. I can assure you the process has not been pleasant. Actually, the FL dealership was like a dog with a bone. They were more pissed at the situation than me!!

[stutch]

Ted, this was a very slippery slope. Started last August when I was told the part had a 4-8 week lead time for delivery. Since we had plans to come out to CA for the winter, the FL dealership in CA ordered the part and I paid for it.

Now it is Feb. A week ago they asked me bring the MH in so they can see if the there was another reason why the AC would not work. Well... one thing led to another and we decided to send the pack to a radiator expert in CA to see if he can test and/or repair it. The extraction took 2 days. Major surgery....

The expert said.. NOPE, can't be fixed. The FL dealer said this was an odd design that they never saw before and after 6 years could not believe it failed. I felt boxed into a corner and FL corporate was absolutely no help.

So, the pack is siting on a pallet, lines were cut to get them off of the unit as they were rusted beyond belief and our nationwide search for any and all alternatives were exhausted. Yesterday morn I told them to put it all back together and I would address it again when the part became available in the future. Knowing, I would pay for many hours of labor and end up in the same place.

Yesterday night they called me to say they found a company in Memphis that says they have a compatible pack and it is available. It is on it's way.

One of my pet peaves with the MH industry is how they lulled owners to believe they are on their own to with just about everything after the warranty is up. These things cost more than most houses and 10 times harder to repair when something breaks.

I am a trainned diesel mechanic and a MacGyver savant but I bought a new Newmar (because I was told they were quality) motorhome to have fun. I knew things break but I was not prepared for "Sorry, it is on you to research part makers and fix it yourself or live with it."

One of my large slide supports is cracked and the slide will not seat properly. This is a 6"X4" steel tube that the slide used to ride in and out of. This is a known flaw that Newmar knows of but refuses to help owners. Many have had independant welders patch the problem. My MH is scheduled to have this done in a week or two putting pressure on the AC/radiator issue. Again, if I had known!!!! 2 weeks ago I have a Dometic Penguin II AC/Heatpunp unit replaced as it failed. Satellite dish replaced at it failed and a kitchen slide out motor replaced, and this has been since July of this year. I have to believe I am not alone!!

A year into owning our NEW Dutch Star, our ITC pucklights started to burn out. Newmar said, call ITC and see what they say as your MH is out of warranty! HUH? I called ITC and they said, they used bad solder and was sorry but no help! $40/light to replace, how many do you want? Instead I gutted them and built my own lights using generic LED parts. $3/light!!

I feel like writing a book on MH ownership.

Sometimes I get frustrated and looking for advice from seasoned MH owners that may be able to offer angles that I haven't thought of. I get a lot of "It is what it is and you should never have purchased a MH!" Really? I would think I am their target customer.

Anyway, sorry for the rant and I sincerly appreciate your response. My son's wedding is in April, another reason to be out here in CA. When, that is over we will head back, probably sell the MH and buy a 5th wheel. We like the travel/camping aspect but putting the expense of a MH and 5th wheel into perspective, the 5th wheel is disposable. LOL!!

[Ted DuPuis]

I get what you're saying, but at the end of the day there's a company and people who are involved in all of this. With how many RVs there are out there and how many configurations of them exist even with the same theoretical chassis, I can't say I'm surprised at the lack of detailed knowledge of a lot of the parts. I'd imagine if you showed up with an FLD or a Cascadia they'd be able to get the part and know a lot more about it, just the nature of the beast. Even at the Cat dealer I sometimes have to do some research on my 3126 to get the parts I need. They get 90+% of it, but they just don't get many 3126s or C7s in anymore. This is why we as owners are generally best off of we educate ourselves - at the end of the day we will probably know our rigs better than any shop we come to, especially if they don't touch RVs often.

Back when I was a mechanic I specialized in Jaguar V12s. Although we were a Jaguar specialty shop, the mechanics had cut their teeth on American cars as was common at the time and that was still really what any of them knew. My first car was a Jaguar XJ-S V12 (bought for $1k with no dashboard, steering wheel, or working transmission) and that's what I cut my teeth on. I could do most of the V12 related jobs in half the time of the other mechanics (if not faster), and most of the American V8 jobs in twice the time (even though those jobs were simpler). Just what I knew and was good at. I'm sure you've seen similar over the years if you were a diesel mechanic.

RVs are expensive, but they're also extremely labor intensive to build and ultimately all one-offs. Labor is expensive (even bad labor) and so that's how we end up with things like my RV being constructed largely out of 1/8" thick square tubing, only welded on one or at most two sides at most joints, and general rigidity of a wet noodle. I know some of those top end companies have a 24/7 help line where you get a technician who works for them, knows their stuff, and can help with issues, even if you have an older one. I think a new Newell coach costs $2-3M, and similar for the other higher end companies like Liberty, Marathon, etc.

What I like about my Freightliner chassis is that ultimately it's pretty simple and the nationwide support network is decent. The simpler suspension design may not ride as well as a higher end coach, but only having 4 airbags means that I only had to replace 4 airbags that were all showing dry rot when I bought it, and things like that.

[Bigd9]

Well said Ted

[ChadBounder]

Well parts are hit or miss across the board with every manufacture. I don't think it is fair to say Freightliner is a bad company because you need a part that is currently not available. I think we all have had that issue.

[Tony65]

Our motorhomes are like NASA's Apollo rockets, made by a thousand different industries.

Just pray you're not on Apollo 13!

[exeguy]

I have found freightliner to be very responsible. Had a wiring issue where windshield wipers would not turn off, it took FL a week to find and solve wiring issue - No charge, then issue happened again a few weeks later, FL worked 12 hours to fix - no charge. Also had transmission radiator leak FL replaced it under warranty - no charge

[TXrider]

Originally Posted by stutch

Freightliner needs to own the reliability of their products. For me, their product is 100% of the chassis.

Money aside, if there is a problem with their product, any FL dealer should offer assistance to fix or without excuses.

There should be no difference between FL and any auto manufacturing company. The thing i bought, broke. Money aside, warranty aside, fix it. Their attitude is, sorry..Covid ate the parts you need so your $500k vehicle is a very large paper weight. Huh?

Also, what's with the FL Camp? CAMP? for what?? Mercedes doesn't have a camp? Chevy, BMW doesn't have a camp. What makes these MH makers think all buyers are mechanics?

Frustrated as the anticipated pleasure of MH camping etc... had turned into being a mechanical project management job.

I have contacted FL on a few occasions, while extremely pleasant on the phone nothing was solved. FL gave me my local FL contact for warranty/recalls & this flip side of FL is neither friendly or wants to help. So I am stuck with recalls that are not repaired and not sure what to do from here. Suggestions are more than appreciated.
I have become so frustrated that said MH is up for sale. 2018 Thor Palazzo 33.2

[flyingarmour]

When I I got my Dutch Star I went to the freightliner dealer in Nampa to have it checked out. I got the impression of people running for their garlic and crosses to ward off my evil presence. I was told that they did not work on rvs.
I slunk away, feeling unclean to the Caterpillar dealer where I was welcomed and taken care of.

[Rob_M]

The CAT dealer I work for takes in DP’s powered by all makes.
When Cat quit making on-road engines they had to adapt and did. That doesn’t necessarily mean they could find the odd coolant pack for the OP’s FL. Though they do repair radiators on campus in SA and DFW and possibly have sources that could custom build something. IDK.

They just expanded into Oklahoma also. Holt Truck Centers

[TXrider]

In using CAT, will they honor recalls?